doily gone wrong + fabric + cards

I meant to post yesterday and just completely forgot, and now today I'm having the most stressful day in living memory!  Work is a nightmare and I bought the wrong colour tile-paint. Perhaps not a nightmare on its own, but it does mean that Mr CA couldn't paint the bathroom tiles and is working this weekend so now I'M going to have to do it!

I'm taking 2 minutes out of my nightmare to whip up a quick post!  It's all over the place this post, a bit like my brain today.

Random topic number one - big fat fail
I don't know if you remember I told you I was working on a doily and it wasn't going well?  It turned out that I was using the wrong hook.  Oh, the number was correct, but a UK 6 and a US steel 6 are very different creatures...  why??? why do we need 2 systems??

Here's how it was looking:

I frogged it and started again.  It's going much better with a smaller hook, but each round is taking me twice as long as it should as I get to the next round and realise I made a mistake at the beginning of the last round!  I didn't get an in-progress shot but I will soon.

Random topic number 2 - my first FQ bundle

I mentioned to my brother that I'd love to make another quilt for my nephew, my brother was quite chuffed, so I got online and looked at fabric.  I already knew which line I wanted to use.  Over at Prints to Polka Dots I found a bargain FQ bundle and snapped it up.  Want to see?

Yum!  I laid it all out so you could see the different prints.  I just fancied bragging about it!  For any US readers that are amazed I've never bought an FQ bundle before - this cost me £50 (€75), and that was on sale.

Did you see in the corner of the top picture my sewing machine cover?  That's the back which faces the window and all the prints are so faded now!  I real lesson about what sunlight does to fabric.

Random topic number 3 - lovely gift from a friend

I think you may have noticed that I'm joining in the Zakka Style SAL?  One of my friends Fiona is in Latvia and couldn't get hold of the magnetic sheet for week 6.  I said I'd send her some and look what she sent me in exchange!

Luscious, luscious Latvian linen!  Love that green... and a wonderful card.  I can't believe I recognised the buildings in this, it was 9 years ago that I visited the beautiful city of Riga.  She also sent me some chocolate, but I scoffed that. 

Random topic number 4 - Beaded cards

I showed you my teeny-tiny beading a week or so ago.  I made them up into cards at the weekend and I'm pretty chuffed with them.  Somethign tells me everyone will be getting beaded cards this year...

I needed to make an acceptance card for a colleague's wedding reception and an engagement card for my brother and his lovely missus, so I decided to do them both the same and just change the wording.

Very simple, the beading is attached to card and layered on gold card.  The wording is embossed and layered up the same way.

Random topic number 5 - my competition

I have had 10 entries for my competition so far - 10!  I can't believe it, I really didn't think anyone would enter!  But you've still got plenty of time ladies, remember, there's a prize!  To read about it, go here.  You can enter as many times as you like, enter by adding your link to the comments of that post or email me directly.  I have other comments on that page too and as I'm taking email entries, what I'm going to do is write a "final" post with a picture of each project and a link, plus a number.  I'll use that to choose my winner.  The more entries you submit, the more chances to win and it doesn't have to be sewn!

Random topic number 6 - a giveaway

I'm probably shooting myself in the foot by telling you about other people's giveaways, but this one is too good to miss.  Shape Moth is running a giveaway to celebrate the launch of a new German sewing supplies on-line shop patchwork-oase.com.  There are loads of prizes to be won and it's open until the 7th July.

Random topic number 7 - my Friday evening

Mr CA is on site tonight.  I will be working til quite late I think, then I have to go to B&Q to buy tile paint.  Mr CA bought some in Brilliant White.  We then decided it wouldn't match the Antique White we were painting the walls so I took it back.  It was traumatic, I don't think the shop assistants had a brain between them and said I couldn't exchange it for a different colour as I didn't have my husband's credit card on me.  Make sense?  Erm no.  I "talked" them round.  I bought Ivory.  Hubby painted the tiles (thankfully only a few).  It's yellow.  I'm going back to buy Brilliant White.  Then I'm going to the tip.  Then I'm going to Asda. 

I know, I know, I have the most exciting life you've ever know.  Seriously, I could weep.

A Dotty Kind of Swap

Evening!  Well, have I got some exciting things to show you today?  On Friday night my mum came round with a parcel for me (I have to get everything delivered there as not being in during the week provokes the post office into losing my stuff...).  It was from the lovely Dotty, a bloggy friend of mine.  We'd decided to have a private shop after I admired her glass work pendents on her blog.

Well, did I win in this swap!  The parcel was incredible and even Mr CA was interested which is not usual for him and craft-related stuff!

First up was this cute little pouch...

Inside?  Two beautiful fused glass pendants made by Dotty's fair hand.  I'm wearing the blue one now!

Then came this little bunny rabbit.  How cute!  He's sitting on the shelf above me.

And last, but definitely not least...  this octopus! 

How cool is he?  I did consider divorcing Mr CA and marrying him, but Mr CA wants to divorce me and marry him himself!!

Dotty, you're a star!  Oh, and she has a shop, all sold out at the minute, but keep your eye out and you too could be the proud owner of a funky octopus.

So want to see what I sent her?  It looks crap in comparison.

A patchwork lavender-filled heart.

Made with the scraps from this puffy pouch, tutorial by Ayumi at Pink Penguin.

Hmmm, not quite as good as Ayumi's, but it looks loads better when it's full.  Promise.  Not that I thought to take a photo to prove it!

That's the back, see how I've pulled the inner bits out so you can see them?  Doesn't make it look great though!

And lined with stripes.  I also sent her a RAW bracelet.  This isn't the one I made on the jewellery course, I got my seed beads out as soon as I got home to make one for Dotty.

Here's a close up:

I also sent her one of the owls and some crocheted bunting.  And this card.  It's supposed to be a quilt on a washing line.  Not too successful, I'm afraid.  Sorry Dotty!

I really must stop doing swaps as I always seem to get the better end of the deal, and whilst that's great for me, I feel sorry for the poor partners I rope in!!

A swap

A few days ago I showed you the wonderful parcel that the lovely Katherine had sent me.  Well, now I'm a little ashamed to show you the pathetic parcel I sent her.  Rest assured, her generosity will not me going unreturned, there'll be another parcel going out to her next year - maybe for some event like Shrove Tuesday (eh, Sandra?).

Katherine had told me she liked red and blue.  To be honest, that didn't come as a surprise as I've been following her blog for ages!  I decided to make her a crafty accessory set in Bliss. 

Eagle-eyed and elephant-memoried (yes, I did just make that up) readers may remember that Katherine made me this exact same needle case from Sew Pretty Homestyle.

Except Katherine's was much more skillfully sewn!

I added a little pin cushion heart with a strange cut out and sewn flower type affair on the front.

It doesn't look quite so strange from this angle...

It has a naked backside.

I also made a little fabric tray from the 2010 Sewing Calendar, much like the one I made for myself.  A little confession here Katherine, that red dot print isn't Bliss... I just didn't have any more pieces big enough so had to break out some Michael Miller dots.

Hmmm... I've seen better but it was made with love and I was trying my hardest to make it neat.  It's not like I just whipped up any old thing.  The self-pity!  Stop whining Wendy.

Lastly came a little button bag from Sew Pretty Homestyle.  I really like this one and think it worked out quite well.

And here's the combined contents of my meagre parcel together.  I'm sorry Katherine, I didn't even send any chocolate.  What is wrong with me?!?